Electric hydrant thawer



L. B4 BIGLOW ELECTRIC HYDRANT THAWER March 22, 1932.

Filed May 26. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet HJL I IHHI 34 Fry- E."

f N VEN TOR onar B. Bg/mv WM March 22, 1932. B. BIGLOW ELECTRIC HYDRANT THAWER Filed May 26. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f N VEN TOR pu fy/ow.

u I I w I 00 1 1/1 I Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE ELECTRIC HYDBANT THAWER Application filed May 26,

This present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in an electric hydrant thawer.

The primary object of the invention res sides in the provision of an electric hydrant thawer which may be readily placed in the hydrant for thawing the same or preventing freezing thereof.

The invention has for another object the provision of an electric hydrant thawer of the character stated which may be readily positioned on the hydrant in place of the ordinary cap therefor and left in position without danger of overheating the hydrant or otherwise causing damage.

The invention has for a further object the provision of an electric hydrant thawer of the character stated which requires only small voltage for operation and may be connected to a small voltage line without requiring the services of an electrician and without necessitating the use of a transformer, switch or ampere meter, as the case of the more complicated types of hydrant thawers theretofore employed.

The invention has for a still further object the provision of an electric hydrant thawer of the character stated which is of extremely simple and inexpensive construction and operation and may be readily placed in position or removed without danger of causing a short circuit or requiring the services of a trained electrician for inspecting the thawer or placing the same in position or removing the thawer from the hydrant.

The invention has for a still further object the provision of an electric hydrant thawer of the character stated which is highly ellicient in operation, may be manufactured at small cost and may be retailed at a popular price with good profit, thereby providing acommercially attractive proposition.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

Serial No. 455,689.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation, looking at the outer end of the electric hydrant thawer Figure 2 is an elevation looking at the inner end thereof;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, taken substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Fi ure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail longitudinal section, through a portion of the heating element and the porcelain support therefor.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, it will be noted that a filament wire or heating element 6 is coiled around the spirally grooved hollow porcelain support 7 and has one end connected to the binding screw or terminal 8 removably threaded in the angularly bent forward end 9 of the long supporting arm 10 extending longitudinally through the support 7. The other end of the filament wire or heating element 6 is attached to the screw or terminal 11 which is removably threaded in the side of the shaft supporting arm 12 which has its forward portion 13 offset inwardly and extended for a portion of the way through the support 7 in parallel relation to the inwardly offset portion of the long supporting arm 10. The supporting arms 10 and 12 have their inwardly offset port-ions engaging the inner face of the supporting member 7 at diametrically opposite points and the main portions of the supporting bars 10 and 12 are ofiset outwardly from the support 7 and in planes parallel with one another and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the sup port 7. The rear ends 14 and 15 of the supporting arms 10 and 12, respectively are turned inwardly at right angles toward one another and mounted on the terminal screws 16 and 17, respectively. It is also to be noted that the ends of the filament wire or heating element 6 are preferably threaded through openings in the end portions of the supports 7 before being attached to the screws 8 and 11, respectively. The terminal wires 18 and 19 extend from the terminal screws 16 and 17 and project outwardly through the reduced outer end 20 of the capv 21 which has its main portion provided with internal threads 22 to permit the cap 21 to be readily threaded into position on the hydrant in place of the regular hydrant cap after removal of the latter. An insulating disc 23 of mica or the like is secured against the rear wall of the main portion of the cap 21 by screws 24 or other appropriate means and a small mica washer 25 of smaller diameter than the mica disc 23 is also positioned against the forward face of the centre of the mica disc 23 in engagement with the forwardly ofiset portion thereof through which the terminal screws 16 and 17 are extended. The terminal screws 16 and 17 extend through the washer 25 as well as through the disc 28 and the pairs of washers 26 are positioned on the terminal screws 16 and 17 to bear on the outer faces of the disc 23 and the washer 25. Nuts 27 are also threaded on the outer endsof the terminal screws 16 and 17. An insulating sleeve 28 is also positioned in the smaller portion of the cap 21 and engaged with the inner wall thereof to thoroughly insulate the terminal wires 18 and 19 from the cap 21. It is therefore apparent that all of the electrical parts of the structure are thoroughly insulated from the hydrant cap 21., The terminal wires 18 and 19 may be suitably connected to an appropriate source of electrical energy to supply electrical energy to the filament wire or heating element 6. It is also apparent that the support 7 with the filament wire or heating element 6 may be readily detached from the remainder of the structure and appropriately suspended on a support when not required for use, by simply removing the nuts 27 and the washers 26 adjacent the same.

lVhene-ver desired, the complete electrical parts of the structure may be removed from the cap 21 by removing the screws 24 and the insulating sleeve 28 may be left in the cap 21 or removed, as preferred.

As the construction of the device has thus been described in detail, brief reference is now had to its use and modus operandi; It is sim ply necessary to remove the regular cap from the hydrant and secure the cap 21 in position in place thereof with the filament wire or heating element 6 and its support 7 extending nto the hydrant. With the, terminal wires 7 18 and 19 then connected to an vappropriate danger of causing any damage or injury of any character whatsoever to the hydrant. When the filament wire or heating element 6 and its support 7 are removed from the cap 21, they may be readily suspended on an appropriate support until again required for attachment to the cap 21.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that an electric hydrant thawer is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric hydrant thawer including the combination with a threaded cap having a reduced non-threaded extension with a nonthreaded central bore extending therethrough; of an insulation sleeve secured in said bore of the cap extension; an insulation disc secured in the main portion of said cap and extending over the inner end of said in sulation sleeve; a pair of binding posts secured through the central portion of said insulation disc and extending into said insulation sleeve; a pair of filament supporting 'members mounted on said binding posts and projecting from the main portion of said cap a porcelain filament supporting member 7 mounted on said pair of filament supporting members; a filament wire mounted on said porcelain filament wire supporting member and connected by its opposite ends to said filament supporting members carried on said binding posts; and main current conducting wires extending from said binding posts outwardly through the said insulation sleeve.

2 An electric hydrant thawer including the combination with a hydrant cap having an interiorly threaded main portion with an open side and a reduced non-threaded extension projecting from the opposite side thereof with ja smooth central bore having its inner end of increased diameter over the diameter of the outer end of said bore; an insulation sleeve fitting snugly in said bore of the hydrantcap extension; an insulation disc secured on the inner side of the main portion of said hydrant capand covering over the inner large end of said insulation sleeve; a pair of binding posts secured through the central portion of said insulation disc'and projecting into the large inner end of said insulation sleeve; a pair of supporting arms mounted on said binding posts and projecting from the main portion of said hydrant cap; a porcelain sleeve mounted on said supporting arms; a filament wire carried on said porcelain sleeve and connected by its opposite end to said supporting arm; and current conducting wires extended from said binding posts outwardly through the narrow portion of said insulation sleeve.

3. An electric hydrant thawer including the combination with a hydrant cap having a reduced extension with a smooth central bore having an enlarged inner end; of an insulation sleeve fitting snugly within said bore of the extension; an insulation disc secured in the main portion of said hydrant cap and fitting over the large end of said insulation sleeve; a pair of binding posts secured through the central portion of said insulation disc and projecting into the large end of the insulation sleeve; a pair of parallel supporting arms mounted on said binding posts with their outer portions ofiset inwardly toward one another; one of said supporting arms being longer than the other and having its outer end turned at an angle; a porcelain sleeve mounted on the inwardly offset portions of said supporting arms; a filament wire wound around said porcelain sleeve and having one end connected with the bent end of the long supporting arm while the other end of the filament wire is connected with the short supporting arm; and current conducting wires secured to said binding posts within the large end of said insulation sleeve and extending outwardly through the narrow portion of said insulation sleeve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

LEONARD B. BIGLOW. [L. s.] 

